Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California debuted this NFL season. It’s the newest venue in Southern California and is sure to be a fan favorite! It’s the newest spectacle as an event destination for concert and football enthusiasts alike.
About And Around SoFi Stadium
As you approach the 5.5 billion dollar Sofi Stadium it is barely visible. Why? The playing field is one hundred feet below ground level and shaded by the canopy-like roof. That metal canopy keeps the entire stadium cool and breezy while still blocking out the sun. Definitely concur there is just the right amount of light to keep the stadium bright but still keep the fans cool!
The one of a kind score board and sound system, made by Samsung, sets new viewing experience standards. A double sided screen allows you to see the scoreboard from any angle and the sound system underneath the scoreboard has 260 of the 4,500 JBL speakers all sound the stadium. In particular, whether you have seats high or low, you’ll see all the action from this digital marvel. Hats off to the design engineers who created this one. It will truly knock your socks off!
Stan Kroenke Has A Vision For His Beloved Stadium
Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke has a vision of this stadium becoming a focal point in the Hollywood Park area. The Rams ownership group paid for the stadium so the Chargers will share it with them for the foreseeable future.
Stan Kroenke hopes to allow much of the community to grow around it. Outside SoFi stadium there is plenty of (expensive) parking and a very large lake. More construction is being finished around SoFi Stadium. The residential, commercial and public parks are starting to wrap up now. As these projects finish, SoFi will host some of the largest events in sports.
- Super Bowl 2022
- College Football Championship 2023
- Opening/Closing Olympic Ceremonies 2028
- World Cup Soccer 2026
- Concerts
The Newest Los Angeles Concert Venue
Concerts are another type of event that will be hosted at SoFi Stadium. The first and only concert at SoFi was headlined by Kaskade. It was an historic day for SoFi Stadium and dance/electronic music. This is because special and surprise guest Deadmau5 had performed before Kaskade at the brand new venue! Harry Levin from Billboard writes more about the event in this link .
The Newest Los Angeles Concert Venue
The new SoFi stadium holds 72,000 fans making this the third largest stadium in the city of Los Angeles in terms of capacity.
- Rosebowl Stadium(90,000)
- LA Coliseum (78,000)
- SoFi Stadium (72,000)
Because the capacity is lower for SoFi stadium, there is no bad seat. It does seem the designer of the stadium sacrificed some quantity for quality, which is nice to see for once. There are so many TV’s around SoFi Stadium that you will never miss a play, even in line for a fried hot dog. Throughout the venue you find bars and seating areas open to the public, most of which are open air and exposed to natural light.
Although there are nice places to relax when you’re not in your seats you will definitely want to be in a seat a majority of the time. The lights and scoreboard light up the field perfectly. This creates an ideal game watching environment and keeps fans focused on the game and SoFi Stadium itself.
What To Expect On The Field This Football Season
This will be the best home environment the Rams and Chargers have ever played in. In addition, the talent on the field looks to be just as exciting. Two of the top quarterbacks in the league lead each team and will be fighting for a share of the Los Angeles market.
Matthew Stafford is the Rams savvy veteran quarterback who just arrived to Los Angeles. He looks the potential to finally win the first championship at SoFi Stadium. Rivaling him is the Chargers quarterback, Justin Herbert. This Oregon duck is one of the most young electrifying quarterbacks in the NFL , with many similarities to Patrick Mahomes. Both of these men will be lighting up scoreboards this NFL season. One scoreboard will look better than the rest though and that’s the one at SoFi Stadium!
Things to Prepare For At SoFi Stadium
Here’s a few things I think you should prepare for when you go to SoFi Stadium. Note that it is a new stadium so they are obviously still experiencing growing pains. I am sure the kinks will get worked out and it will evolve into a top rated venue in no time.
COVID Mask & Bag policy At Sofi Stadium
As of August 19th, 2021 Los Angeles implemented a mask mandate at large events such as events and games at SoFi Stadium. So, politics aside, don’t forget your masks! Also, just check the website before you head out the door. Policies change in California regularly.
SoFi Stadium bag policy is a clear bags only. This means you can only have a see-through bag that is 12″ x 6″ x 12″ NFL and SoFi says this is done for safety purposes. Do you need a clear bag for concerts? This article from the Today Show did a nice wrap up of stylish bags.
Parking For SoFi Stadium
Parking is one thing you definitely need to be prepared for! The surrounding neighborhood is not one of the safest so I would advise against parking in a residential area. Residents aren’t thrilled on game days already! Just do them a solid and find a paid space. Going into the game and finding parking was hard honestly, but it’s never easy at a sporting event, right?
Prices ranged from 80 to 160 bucks at the preseason game I attended. I am used to high prices but even this was steep for a preseason football game. My group and I chose to park in the 80 dollar lot and sadly the garage was not attended post game . As a result, it was extremely hard to exit. It took us around an hour to get moving after the game.
Layout and Sections
SoFi Stadium has five levels with level 200 being the ground level that you enter through. There are some dead ends around the stadium but also multiple ways to switch levels including elevator, escalator and stairs. It is not on a grid like many other stadiums but has many signs pointing to levels and sections which is helpful. The seats are wider than most stadium seating which makes for a better level of comfortability at the game.
The most prized seats would have to be the VIP seating sections or suites. Tickets in the VIP section include wider seats with cushions. It also includes access to their own clubs and lounges and their own entrance! Our View was from section 212.
Food And Drink At SoFi Stadium Leaves Room For Improvement
The concessions were limited and each one had different items but looked identical. This made for very confusing explanations on where to get certain foods. Beyond that, the options were just not local or appealing at all.
Fans who visited the stadium took to twitter and let SoFi Stadium hear it. The tweet below by Arash Markazi sums it up best. I included the image in case you’re not on Twitter.
There was a lot made of the $15 pepperoni pizza at SoFi Stadium but it was a bigger issue than that. The prices and appearance of many of the food options at the stadium left many fans upset. Here's a look at the Hot Dog, Marinara Pizza, Cheeseburger Sub and Veggie Burger Sub. pic.twitter.com/xUNiN085AJ
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) August 16, 2021
There have only been two football games this season (at the time this post was published) so the staff is still learning on the fly and it does show. So obviously, the good news is that this is something that can be changed with ease and the experience will improve as will the staff. I fully expect expanded choices as the season progresses.
As for what is there, a tall boy of hard seltzer or beer goes for $16.50 which is a normal price at a sporting event such as this one. Food, although it didn’t have quality, was fairly priced for an event such as a football game at a brand new stadium. Also, be aware! This is a cashless stadium meaning there is no cash accepted anywhere, period.
The Return of Sporting Events
Baseball was the start of sports returning because of timing, lack of contact between players, but also because most fields are outdoor. It’s been an awesome summer in San Diego with the Padres playing at Petco Park. Friends came to town and we enjoyed the summer. I also had a classic Fathers day with my own Dad watching a Padres baseball game at the stadium.
I am sure people enjoyed a sense of normalcy within the last few months. You can check a review pf Petco Park here.
NFL Football Is Coming!
After a disappointing year of not attending football games because of COVID restrictions, I am hoping to be able to attend a handful of games this year. I know many fans feel the same.
On top of that, the players are all just as excited to have the fans and the energy back in the stadium as well. Nearly every player interviewed says the most exciting thing this year is the return of the fans. The return of football should be exciting all around the nation but the luxurious return of football will be at SoFi Stadium.
SoFi Stadium Details For Tickets, Location And More
1001 Stadium Dr, Inglewood, CA 90301 www.sofistadium.com
Purchase tickets via the usual outlets like ticketmaster.com but for premium seating, you should consider booking through either the Los Angeles Rams or the Los Angeles Chargers, both linked here for you. You can still opt to go through the SoFi site listed above.
